Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Feb. 27

It's a terrible weekend for movie fans, as the only two new wide releases are a Jonas Brothers concert movie and a film based on the Street Fighter video games. So basically, if you're not a 13-year-old girl or an 18-year-old guy (or whoever the target audience is for a Street Fighter movie), you're hosed -- unless you venture to the art houses and independent theaters, where you'll find some diversity. The Indie Spotlight has the lowdown on what's opening in limited release today. Let us begin!

An American Affair sounds like an odd mix: It's about a 13-year-old boy's relationship with a 30-year-old woman (Gretchen Mol), set against the backdrop of the JFK years, complete with conspiracy theories. The score at Rotten Tomatoes so far is 7 negative and only 3 positive, with most mentioning the political-thriller elements as being the weakest part.

The Velveteen Rabbit is based on the classic children's tale and mixes live action with animation. The cast includes Ellen Burstyn, Jane Seymour, and Tom Skerritt. And it was directed by Michael Landon Jr.! It's from Utah-based Feature Films for Families, and the company promises on the film's website that if you don't enjoy it, they'll give you a DVD of one of their other movies for free. Of course, if you don't like this one, there's a good chance you wouldn't like the other stuff they make, either, but still. Just one review at Rotten Tomatoes so far, but it's a rave.